Collection inventory

Eric Fisher Wood Papers

An inventory of
his papers
at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator:

Wood, Eric Fisher, 1889-1962.

Title:

Eric Fisher Wood Papers

Dates:

1909-1964

Quantity:

8.0 linear ft.

Abstract:

Papers of the American army officer, architect, author, founding
member of the American Legion. Correspondence, diaries, speeches,
training manuals, published materials by and about Wood, military
records, reports, maps, and photographs pertaining mostly to Wood's
military service. Also, correspondence and research material
relating to Leonard Wood.

Biographical History

Eric Fisher Wood (1889-1962) was an American engineer, military officer (retiring
with the rank of Brigadier General), and co-founder of the American Legion.

Born in New York City in 1889, Wood was educated in
private schools and at Yale. He graduated in 1910 with a B.A. degree in
economics and English and a PhD in Civil Engineering. He did post-graduate work at
Columbia and at l'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. While
there, he was enlisted by the American Embassy to help care for the
flood of problems brought on by World War I. He served as an attaché and
kept a journal which he later published as a book. Wood then enlisted in
the British and French armies, winning many decorations. When America
entered the war, he enlisted as a private and rose to the rank of
colonel. He fought in France, and, remaining there after the war, was
one of the four original founders of the American Legion (1919) and
served as an officer for many years. Returning to the United States, he
made architecture his career, in Pittsburgh, Pa., and became one of the
nation's leading architects. He served as a National Guard Commander in
Pennsylvania. At the start of World War II, he was recalled to service,
serving all through the war, eventually rising to brigadier general. His oldest son,
Eric Jr., was killed in action in
1944. After the war, Wood returned home and became active again, as he
had before, in Pennsylvania state politics, strongly supporting the
Republican party, and serving as an advisor to Nixon and Eisenhower.
Wood died in 1962, leaving his wife, whom he had married in 1918, and
his three surviving children.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The
Eric Fisher Wood Papers include correspondence, manuscripts,
photographs, diaries, and published material.

Correspondence includes both incoming and outgoing.
Correspondence to and from others is also arranged chronologically.

Subject files consists of material on a variety of topics.
The three largest subjects are the American Legion, World War I, and
World War II.

American Legion material includes bulletins, a charter,
correspondence, a history, American Legion magazines and newspapers,
reports, speeches, and other material pertaining to the American Legion.

World War I material includes articles by Wood, photographs of Camp
Sherman, correspondence, material on the 83rd and 88th Divisions, French
publications, manuscripts of Wood's British service and notes on his war
service.

World War II material
includes clippings, correspondence, maps, notes, a manuscript by Wood,
and material on German concentration camps and prisoners-of-war and
displaced persons.

Other topics represented include Georgia, the National Guard,
Pennsylvania state politics and Gen. Leonard Wood. The series also
contains illustrations of Wood's architecture, a diary, scrapbooks, and
material on such notable military figures as Winston Churchill, Gen. Douglas MacArthur,
and Gen. George S. Patton.

Published material includes circulars, lectures by Wood, magazines,
magazine articles, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, press releases by
Wood, a program, reports, and speeches. The articles, clippings,
pamphlets and speeches are either by Wood, about Wood or his works, or
by and about others.

Arrangement of the Collection

Incoming correspondenc is arranged alphabetically
by sender, and outgoing correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Subject files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by type and ends with manuscripts
of others. Published material is arranged alphabetically by type,
and further arranged chronologically where necessary.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require
advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance
concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and
all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from
any
materials in this collection.

Related Material

A 1915 copy of Wood's memoirs, Note-book of an Attaché, has been transferred to Rare
Books for cataloging. Please refer to the Classic Catalog
to locate this item.